“It’s nothing.”
Tae-oh looked at himself and pushed the backs of the two people standing in front of him. The tall and slender Tae-oh used his large hands to push the backs of the two people in front of him. The two remaining individuals, still puzzled, moved without a word, smoothly adjusting their steps.
As the voices of Tae-oh and the other members faded further down the corridor, Sol sat down in that spot, hunching over. Despite being aware that the situation was unfavorable, his body still felt damp and weary. If he displayed a more disappointing demeanor at this point, he truly feared that his relationship with those four might fall apart.
Still, the only relief was that Tae-oh only saw a member sleeping in the practice room. Of course, if Tae-oh were to inform everyone, there would be nothing to say, but judging from the content of their conversation a while ago, it seemed unlikely that he would do so.
Sol let out a deep sigh.
Nevertheless, he felt a slight recovery in his tired body as he pushed through, suppressing the fatigue from briefly dozing off and continuing with the practice. In fact, even the fatigue level displayed in front of him had decreased from 35 to 28.
[D-Block - Hot Trick Dance Proficiency 21%]
[Current Fatigue Level: 28/100]
[Be mindful of fatigue management! Penalties occur when fatigue level is 70 or higher.]
Dance proficiency at 21%. What rank would he get if he took the weekend evaluation at this stage? Sol, a novice in this world, couldn’t gauge his own skills. Based on the compliments Eun-gyeom sent his way during practice, even with penalties, his skills weren’t bad.
“As expected, I’ll have to work much harder and more fiercely. If I can pass with this level of carelessness, it wouldn’t have been given as a quest.”
Sol muttered to himself while looking up at the empty space. Of course, there was a quest notification window in his field of vision, but it seemed as if he, like a third party, was absentmindedly gazing into the air. Sol didn’t enjoy playing games, but he naturally thought that if something could be easily achieved without any effort, it wouldn’t be a quest.
Rewards came when one made legitimate efforts.
Originally, since games follow that rule, the quests assigned to Sol would surely be the same. Didn’t he see the four of them practicing just yesterday? They had sweated profusely, to a degree that couldn’t even compare to what he had done just a while ago. Even though he was just watching from the side, the desperation of the four could be felt on his skin. Compared to that, what he had done was just fooling around.
Simply because of that, he felt so guilty that he couldn’t sleep and even got caught in that state. His chest felt tight. The compliments he received from Eun-gyeom a while ago turned into bubbles and disappeared into the sea.
When was the last time he had a proper meal? Even at Ju-hwan’s wedding venue, he ate and drank like he was going to die, and at the drinking session with Yoo-chan, the other forced him to eat a few pieces of meat. Perhaps because he was hungry, or maybe it was because he had no strength, but he felt even more exhausted.
With his life at stake, he made an effort to overcome something for once, but it felt like his efforts were in vain. What might have been easy for others was an insurmountable hurdle for Sol. Even after barely overcoming one hurdle, there was no one to praise and applaud him for crossing it as a grown man. Despite this, he couldn’t blame anyone.
Sol thought that if there was someone to blame, it would only be himself, who had let himself deteriorate, knowing that it would end up like this.
Feeling stifled in his chest, Sol took a deep breath twice. After lunch, he would have to face Tae-oh again, and the apprehension made him sigh involuntarily. Stress suddenly surged, causing his head to throb. As he exhaled deeply, someone knocked on the practice room door.
Sol, tensed like a cat, huddled his body and stared at the door. His glassy gaze and puffy face spoke volumes. As if to mock Sol’s nervousness, Kim Yeong-ho’s face peeked out through the open door.
“Sol-ah, I heard you’re practicing.”
“Hello.”
“Here. This. Tae-oh said you’re practicing without eating.”
“Oh, thank you.”
The manager’s thick arm, adorned with a watch, extended through the gap in the open door. A large black plastic bag dangled from his wrist. Sol, taking the bag with both hands, checked its contents and thanked Yeong-ho.
Inside were two triangular kimbaps and a lightly drinkable ion beverage. Despite Tae-oh’s frozen expression filled with disdain, seeing that he had separately informed the manager made Sol think that the relationship might not be irreparably damaged.
“Alright, alright. If you’re hurting or need anything else, let me know.”
“Yes.”
“I understand if you’re in a hurry, but you still have to eat to survive while practicing.”
“I’ll make sure to eat. Thank you.”
“I take care of you guys; that’s my job. By the way, I heard the CEO is returning around the weekend.”
Sol’s face, which had been inspecting the contents of the plastic with a somewhat indifferent expression, suddenly brightened. Baek Yoo-chan, YC Entertainment’s CEO. Upon hearing the news of his return from Yeong-ho, Sol harbored some hope. A friend who was always on his side. There was no certainty that his friend and the company’s CEO were the same person, but just hearing the name brought a sense of relief.
A glimmer of hope against all odds.
From the very beginning, it’s quite absurd finding oneself inside a game, and it’s not surprising that Baek Yoo-chan would have something to say about it. Of course, if Baek Yoo-chan had heard these words, he would have likely added a sarcastic remark, questioning if he was cursing him.
“He’s coming to see the evaluation this weekend, so practice hard and I’ll see you later.”
“Yes. Yes!”
Sol nodded vigorously in response to Yeong-ho’s statement that, even without creating a special setting, he could still discern the identity of the CEO Baek Yoo-chan, this upcoming weekend. Rather than hoping that it was the real Baek Yoo-chan, he felt that if the other could just look like his friend, like Eun-gyeom, it would help ease the pain of his heartache.
Sol picked up the bag Yeong-ho handed him and Tae-oh’s hat rolling on the floor, then moved to the practice room. Sol, noticing the dust on the bucket hat that had been rolling on the floor, brushed it off with his hands, delicately shaping it back into a neat form.
Unlike the cramped room he was stuck in, the second room attached to the vocal practice space was comfortable and spacious. Going back and forth between the two practice rooms, one cramped and the other spacious, made the contrast clear.
Sol, who had placed the hat on the bag Tae-oh brought in the morning, sat in the same spot where he dozed off yesterday. He took out the triangular kimbap that Yeong-ho bought and started eating.
His mouth felt parched as he bit into the chilled rice ball, and the grains felt cold and slightly dry. However, feeling that he needed to eat to regain some strength and endure the afternoon, Sol forced himself to swallow the food reluctantly. After managing to swallow one, there was still one left.
He couldn’t bring himself to throw away what others had so carefully purchased. He didn’t know what to do with it in this unfamiliar space. Eventually, Sol unwrapped the remaining packaging and reluctantly put it into his mouth. Two triangular kimbaps might not be a large quantity for an adult man, but despite feeling hungry due to the ongoing tense situation, Sol’s stomach wasn’t accepting the food.
Unable to chew the last piece he forcibly swallowed, Sol grimaced as if he were about to spit it out at any moment. His cheeks puffed up, and the cold rice ball, despite being chewed, didn’t soften enough to be easily swallowed.
Sitting with his body stiffened as if it had solidified, the practice room door creaked open, and Ga-ram entered. Startled by Garam’s untimely entrance, Sol covered his mouth and coughed. The food, not yet swallowed, pressed against his throat, making Sol repeatedly pat his chest.
Ga-ram, noticing Sol in such a state, approached him without hesitation. Perched on the wall like a cat observing passersby, Ga-ram, for some reason, seemed lethargic today and appeared quite tired. If yesterday he resembled a cat exactly like that, today he seemed more like a cat caught in the rain.
Ga-ram opened the cap of the ion drink placed next to Sol and handed it to him. Coughing while taking the drink, Sol nodded and quickly swallowed the beverage. As the food stuck in his throat disappeared with the cold drink, Sol could finally exhale. It was not a quest failure, but he almost lost his life eating a triangular kimbap.
“Thank you.”
“...”
Sol greeted Ga-ram and glanced at him subtly. His calm eyes, without double eyelids, were deeply set, appearing even darker, yet there was a subtle and profound atmosphere. Remembering Ga-ram, who spoke quite harshly yesterday with such a calm face, Sol observed his reactions closely.
Though there was no direct response, the other turned away momentarily, and it seemed like his ears were slightly red. As Ga-ram was the one who had conveyed several words to Sol yesterday, Sol decided to loosen his tight lips, thinking of obtaining more information about the team he would be joining. However, before he could even mention his name, a noisy figure appeared.
“What? What do you want to thank Garam hyung for?”
“He hid to eat because of your scrutiny.”
Answering DK’s question, Ga-ram bowed while tying his shoelaces. Sol felt as if the kimbap he had just swallowed might come back up. Coughing again, Ga-ram’s gentle voice echoed over DK’s loud voice.
“Huh? What are you talking about? What did I do?”
“No!! It’s not like that!”
“What’s going on?”
“Are you fighting? What’s happening, guys?”
Tae-oh and Ji-ho, who finished their meal, entered the practice room after DK. Due to DK’s loud voice, both of them looked alternately at Sol and DK with serious expressions. Hearing this, Sol, unable to continue the conversation, just shook his hands nervously. Like yesterday, Kang Ga-ram seemed to have a style of just quietly throwing bombs, subtle yet impactful.
“Ga-ram hyung always says something to me.”
“What, it’s not Sol, it’s Ga-ram?”
Ji-ho affectionately patted DK’s head, who was speaking confidently with enthusiasm. DK bowed again to receive Ji-ho’s pat. It felt like an owner and a pet. Although DK kept complaining, Ga-ram didn’t pay attention. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders, watching Ji-ho take DK’s side. Sol continued to hold back his cough while letting out a deep sigh.
When his eyes met Ji-ho’s for a moment, the other smiled faintly. The smile felt oddly like he was disappointed, not with the fight, but with something else. Perhaps this was just his baseless self-esteem or maybe a sense of victimization, but it was awkward.
Unlike Sol, who was reserved in his actions, DK and Ga-ram were never still for a moment. Of course, there was a difference: Ga-ram was busy practicing small movements in a corner of the practice room, checking his appearance in the mirror, while DK was busy playing around with Ji-ho.
Sol observed Ga-ram as he took the ionized water bottle handed to him earlier. For some reason that was not clear, Ga-ram repeated the same movement over and over again, as if something didn’t please him. While practicing alone and maintaining the rhythm, Ga-ram occasionally received advice from Tae-oh, suggesting a smoother way to move.
The dance Ga-ram was practicing was the evaluation piece he had practiced with Eun-gyeom. Watching him absentmindedly, Sol recalled his quest window. Suddenly, the notification window he thought of appeared in his field of vision.
[D-Block - Hot Trick Dance Proficiency 21%]
Not even halfway to completion. Sol set down the drink he was holding and quietly stood next to Ga-ram.
